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The Riigikogu is the parliament of Estonia. Its 101 members are elected at general elections for a term of four years. The Riigikogu passes laws and resolutions, exercises parliamentary supervision and ratifies international agreements.

The Riigikogu has 11 standing commitees and 6 select committees. Commitees of investigation and study committees are formed to investigate issues of public interest or problems of significant imprtance.

Draft statement of the Riigikogu in support of Ukraine was accepted for legislative proceeding

05.03.2014 / Press releases

By a decision of the Board of the Riigikogu, the draft statement In Support of Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine (608 AE), presented by 63 members of the Riigikogu, was accepted for legislative proceeding.

The statement of the Riigikogu, presented by MPs, is a reaction to the military aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine and an appeal to the international community to react in a more resolute way to the actions of Russia in violating the sovereignty and in jeopardising the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The Riigikogu condemns the activities of the armed forces of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the occupation of Crimea and Russia’s attempts to split the Ukrainian society. The Riigikogu demands that the occupying forces of the Russian Federation immediately leave the territory of Ukraine and that the bilateral agreement regarding military bases be observed.

The explanatory memorandum says that under the pretext of protecting the Russian speaking population of Crimea, Russia started to increase the number of its troops in Russian military bases in Crimea and thus violated the bilateral agreement regarding Russian military bases on the territory of Ukraine, signed between the two countries in 1997 and extended in 2010. Passports of the Russian Federation have also been issued to the inhabitants of Crimea under the expedited procedure, as was done in Abkhazia and South Ossetia before the aggression against Georgia in 2008.

The statement of the Riigikogu emphasises the need to send international observing missions (UN, European Union, OSCE, etc.) to Ukraine, in order to record Russia’s activities in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. On 3 March 2014, the Swiss presidency of OSCE called for making preparations for sending an OSCE observing mission to Ukraine.

The statement of the Riigikogu also calls on European Union Member States to support Ukraine in carrying out reforms needed for the development of its society and economy. Estonia highlights the need to sign, at the earliest opportunity, the association agreement left unsigned during the Vilnius Summit of the European Union.